Combined car and hose coupling



(No Model.)

'J H. CARROLL.

COMBINED CAR AND HOSE COUPLING. No. 478,400. Patented July 5, 1892.

WIT/V5885 I v 4 TTOR/VEYS.

u $2 L 1: i v V V W a, (11% UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. CARROLL, OF DE SMFIT, SOUTI-I-DAKO'1A.

COMBINED CAR AND HOSE COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 78,400, dated July 5, 1892.

Application filed August 24, 1891. Serial No. 403,540. (No model.)

To all whom itmwyconcern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN H. CARRoLL, 0 De Smet, in the county of Kingsbury and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and use-' ful Combined Gar-Coupling and Hose-Coupling, of which the following is a full,'clear, and exact description.

The object'of this invention isto provide an improved car-coupling and combinethere with an improved hose-coupling for an air-' brake, so that the coupling together of two cars will simultaneously'efiecta coupling of hose-sections for air-brakes" that are onthe car-coupling heads of the connected cars. I i

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had-to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a car body and frame withthe improvement thereon. Fig. 2 is an enlarged reverse plan view of two car-frames broken away with the improved car and hose coupling, on each oar'in coupled condition. Fig. 3 is a side view, broken, of two cars and the improved couplings thereon in coupled adjustment. Fig. 4 is a plan view, enlarged, of on e'car-couplin g head and one-half of an air-brake hose-coupling in place thereon. Fig. 5 is a reverse plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a side view of the car-coupling head and air-brake coupling-section shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the car-coupling and air-brake coupling shown in Fig. 2 on the line 7 in said figure. Fig. 8 is a lll&I1SVOISGS 6Gt1OH of the parts shown in Fig. 4 on the line 8 8 in said figure, and Fig. 9 is a reduced broken sectional side view of a car-frame and a coupling draw-bar supported thereonhaving a coupling-head pivoted thereto, shown broken away forwardly. p

' The car-coupling is of a side-swlnging latchhook type, having a coupling-head A, that consists of an elongated metallic block parallel on its top and bottom sides, having its rearward portion a nearly square in crosssection, and transversely slotted from the rear end inwardly in a horizontal plane at its :center of thickness for the reception of the flattened end portion of the draw-bar B, which is pivoted therein so as to form a laterallyflexible joint d between these parts. The coupling-head A is widened at the front of the portion at, producing a lateral abutment b, and integral with this projection a forwardly and laterallycurved extension 0, that is widened on the side from which the abutment 1) projects, soas to form a latching-shoulder d, that hooks slightly rearward,"and for- .wardly of said shoulder is laterally'converged ,to produce an arrow-shaped nosed on the coupling-head.

From the knuckle-joint connection a of the coupling-head A with the draw-bar B the latter is extended a proper length for eifective service, preferablyin the for-m of a cylindrical rod that is supported by a bracket-plate 0, (shown in Fig. 9 in complete form,) provided with two depending parallel ears e, through which the draw-bar slides, twospiral springs D, pressing against-a central pin or flange e, which is affixed to the draw-bar, serving to cushion against percussion and draft strain sustained by the coupling.

The bracket-plate O is secured upon the oar-frame by any suitable means centrally between the longitudinally-extending timbers E of the same and-at a proper point from their front ends, so that-the coupling-head A may rest its rear portion wupon-the transverse barf and slide thereon, said bar being attached by its ends upon the forward ends of the timbers E. The forward side of the abutment-piece b on the coupling-head A is curved inwardly and rearwardly, so as to provide a shoulder bfor the impinge of the nose on a similar coupling-head when av coupling together of two heads is effected, the formation of the part 1) serving to retain two couplingheads in interlocked condition until separated by design. 7

A transverse slot 9 is formediu the nose 0, (see Fig. 6,) thereby producing two parallel jaws forwardly, which are vertically perforated at g for the reception of an ordinary coupling-pin when the improved coupling is to be attached to an ordinary oarcouplin g of the link-and-pin type.

It is necessary for the proper operation of the device that means be provided for the ention is being effected. To this end a straight plate-spring F is provided for each coupling, which is secured firmly by its front end to the coupling-head A near its center line of draft and rearward of the shoulder b, as at i in Fig. 3, the rear end portion of the spring having a sliding engagement with a slotted lug i, which projects upward from the drawbar B. The spring F by its lateral elasticity allows the coupling-head to swing sufficiently upon the knuckle-joint a to connect with another like couplinghead, the force of the spring returning the parts to an aligned con- 'dition when the latched attachment of two heads has been accomplished.

Upon the lower side of the coupling-head A one-half section of an air-brake hosecoupling is secured. (See Fig. 5.) Said section G consists, essentially, of an elongated cylindrical chamber flattened on one side a suite cient degree to aiford a seat whereon a similar coupling-section is designed to impinge and have an air-tight connection therewith.

Each flattened wall of two coupling-sections G, that together form an air-brake hosecoupling, has an aperture m produced in it for the passage of air from one section into the other section when these are detachably connected.

The preferred means for retaining the coupling-section G upon the car-coupling head A, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, comprises a perforated depending bracket-block a, through which the cylindrical body of the piece Gr slides, a spring G cushioning the latter from jar longitudinally.

Upon the forward portion of the couplingto seat upon the lower surface of the car-coupling head A, whereon it is secured to slide gages a slot 02 in the pad and is screwed into the coupling-head.

The means for connecting the ainbrake couplingsection G with the carcoupling head A permits the first-named part to slide alimited distance longitudinally, while lateral movement is prevented, and from the relative position assigned to the coupling-sectact when two car-coupling heads are latched together.

Upon each section G of the air-brake hosecoupling a clasping-spring o is attached, having itsends curved divergently to facilitate theattachment together of two coupling-sections, these spring-clasps being adapted to engage the opposed sections automatically and hold them closely when two cars having the improvement are made to approach near enough to automatically couple themtogether.

Each coupling-section G is attached by an air-brake hose-coupling 1) upon a section of hose p',(shown broken off in Fig. 3,) which hose in service leads from a source of air-pressure or a vacuum-chamber,depending upon the system employed, and thereby furnishes a continuous conduit from the front to the rear end of a train of cars.

On the end of the carwhereon the improvement is placed a bell-crank leverI is pivoted at the junction of its short limb 0' with the handle-piece from which said limb projects laterally, the terminal end of the latter-named portion of the crank-lever being jointed to,

which lever by its depression will rock the connected coupling-head outwardly and release the engagement of two of the improved car-couplings and that of the air-brake-hose I connections also, as before indicated.

On the end of the car-body above the lever I one end of a treadle-lever J is pivoted thereto, so as to permit the portion of the treadle that is to be engaged by the operators foot 1 to project rearward and laterally and locate it behind a guard-rail M, which serves as a protection to a brakeman when he is operatiug a brake-wheel M, to set the brakes on the 1 car, the treadle-lever and crank-leverI being ;connectcd by a rod N, that is pivoted at its 1 ends to these parts, so that a depression of i the treadle-levor will rock the bell-crank lever and push the coupling-head A outwardly, f and thereby release the parts which havebeen in connection, as previously explained.

section G there is a pad 72 affixed, which is bent Having fully described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent endwise by a. keeper-bolt 71 that loosely en- 1, The combination, with a draw-bar adapt- I: ed to slide longitudinally on a car-frame and a buffer-spring thereon cushioning the drawbar in two directions of travel, of a side-latch- ;ing coupling-head pivoted on the front end of the draw-bar and a plate-spring fastened l at one end to the coupling-head and loosely j connected with the draw-bar, substantially as 1, described.

tion two mating sections will oomeinto con- 2. The combination, with a support for a draw-bar, adapted to retain it on a car-frame free to slide longitudinally, an elongated cylindrical draw-bar, and a buifer-spring thereon adapted to cushion the bar against draft "force or end-thrust, a coupling-head jointed 1 to swing laterally on the draw-bar front end Fand provided with a lateral latch-hook, and 3 an abutment-shoulder rearward of said latchhook, of a flat spring held by one end edge- IEO- wise on the coupling-head and loosely connected with the draw-bar, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a bracket-plate on a 'car-frame, a cylindrical draw-bar held to slide in lugs of the bracket-p1ate,a bufferspring thereon, a side-latchin g coupling-head jointed to swing laterally on the front end of the draw-bar, and a plate-springaffixed by one end on the coupling-head 'edgewise and loosely connected at the other end upon'the draw-bar, of a supporting-plate transversely secured on the car-frame timbers below the coupling-head, a bell-crank lever pivoted on the car-frame in front, a link pivoted to a short limb of the bell-crank lever and by its other end to an car on the coupling-head, a

treadle above on the.car,-and a connecting rod between the treadle-lever and bell-crank lever, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a car-coupling head pivoted to swing laterally and connect with a mating coupling-head, of ahose-coupling half-section positively held upon the carcoupling head and movable into position to couple in response to a corresponding movement of the car-coupling head and adapted to couple with a mating hose-coupling section when the car-coupling heads are joined, sub- 7 stantially as described.

. JOHN H. CARROLL. Witness:

A., B. IMUs, S. R. CARROLL. 

